Used 2012 Subaru Impreza Consumer Reviews
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Consumer Reports Nailed It
cherryfan, 04/11/2012
2012 Subaru Impreza 2.0i Premium 4dr Sedan AWD (2.0L 4cyl CVT)
13 of 19 people found this review helpful
Have owned this car for two months now, just over 2,000 miles on it. Has the winter/alloy wheel/moonroof package. Test-drove the Impreza v. Ford Focus and Fiesta and Hyundai Elantra, and Impreza was favorite by far. Handles well overall, was most solid and reassuring, smoothest transmission (CVT v. others' automatics is no contest), roomy comfortable interior. Edmunds doesn't like the styling, but I l do, and prefer it to the Focus (which I also own). Engine is plenty powerful and mpg is fine; on 270-mile trip from Denver to Avon, CO, over two mountain passes of at least 10,600 feet and at 70 mph most of the way, averaged 34.5 mpg. Seats are comfortable, visibility is top of class.
Snow slaying machine with a pathetic interior
Jesse Nicola, 12/10/2015
2012 Subaru Impreza 2.0i Limited PZEV 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.0L 4cyl CVT)
6 of 8 people found this review helpful
This is my first Subaru, and quite possibly my last. The issues have been plentiful. The interior rattles to high hell. I had to go to two dealers as the first tried to bamboozle me like it wasn't an issue. Internal fan was failing and the bearing was making more noise than a duck on meth, which the dealer claimed was normal. Seat heaters stop working, dealer claims that's a safety feature... my butt. Sensors in seat to detect if a passenger is in there FAIL when exposed to water. YOU SOLD THE CAR IN THE PACIFIC NORTWHEST WHERE IT RAINS YOU DUMB *&%$#! Not only does it fail... but it fails with the AIRBAG OFF! DANGER WILL ROBINSON! Power? Gutless. Takes off from a stop like a two stroke dirtbike, abuse the clutch or don't get going at all. Uphill stop and go traffic? Burn baby burn... WHY ISN'T THEREA A SIXTH GEAR! Spins 3000 rpm at highways speeds. I've not once hit the combined MPG. I drove it across the country, and even in the flattest parts of the country, with NO ROOF RACKS OR ACCESSORIES, car already warmed up, driving a full tank on cruise control... 31mpg. &#$#% Subaru. I wish some one else made a solid AWD car or I'd never sell this off, even at a loss, and never look back.
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2012 Subaru Impreza for sale near you
Showing 3 of 24 listings
- 2.0i Limited 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $8,750183 mi away
- 2.0i Sport Limited 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $9,879183 mi away
- 2.0i Premium 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $6,99531 mi away
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Not Your Father's Impreza
lowkey, 04/10/2012
2012 Subaru Impreza 2.0i Sport Premium 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.0L 4cyl CVT)
17 of 26 people found this review helpful
I gave my 2009 Impreza Outback Sport to my college daughter as a replacement. I thought I would go out and replace it with a new one and get the same performance and ride. Wrong. This car travels from the foothills to Denver in winter snow conditions. I don't even recognize it as a reliable snow performer Subaru is noted for. I have 3,700 miles on the Premium Sport and here's my experience. (1) The traction loss fault light flickers frequently in snow and unstable when crossing over 3 or 4 inch snow build up. It gets my heart pumping. (2) Bad manners in cross winds. After 800 miles I was exhausted. (3) The 2.0, CVT, struggles climbing grades at 8,000 ft. I have to put it in 3rd manual mode.
Oil burner
fredjohnson, 03/02/2014
updated 09/10/2020
2012 Subaru Impreza 2.0i Sport Premium PZEV 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.0L 4cyl CVT)
4 of 5 people found this review helpful
My 2012 Impreza is beginning to really bother me. 25k miles on it and it burns 2 qts of oil every 3k miles now. Yes, the CVT is noisy as can be, but I knew that when I bought it. In winter, my highway gas mileage does drop to 27 mpg which is almost 10 mpg lower than EPA sticker. Overall, I'm dissatisfied with the car, especially after finding out Subaru won't do much to help with the oil consumption other than to say its "normal". And to that I say BS. Never had a Toyota or Honda---I've owned 8 new ones--- burn oil. Update: 60k on odometer now. Still burns same amount of oil. Will stay away from future Subarus because of excessive oil burn. Subaru won't back up their product which adds to dissatisfaction. Otherwise, car is reliable. Mpg no change. Still below stated number in window sticker. Engine still noisy, especially in winter. Anemic acceleration from 0 to 60. Update: 70k on odometer. All same issues. Oil burn rate about the same. Will likely trade it for a new Honda Ridgeline Black Edition pickup in 2018 or a new Honda CRV since we've owned 3 of those already. Update: 80K on odometer. No change in engine oil burn rate. Body metal seems too thin, dents easily, scratches easily. Same for the painted wheels. Had to have them all repainted after going through a car wash because they scratch so easily. Engine still very noisy at acceleration--embarrassingly so. MPG seems to be decreasing somewhat. Winter time in MN and I'm getting around 23 mpg. Will trade car this summer. Update 88k on odometer. Small engine oil leak now. Same oil burn issue. Replaced brakes. Traded it for new 2019 Mazda CX5 Signature 2,5 liter turbo with every option. Got a class action lawsuit settlement letter from a law firm in mail saying Subaru agreed to settle and pay owners. Took 8 years for them. Car gone now, won't buy another Subaru.
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
MPG ?
fracker, 03/17/2012
2012 Subaru Impreza 2.0i 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.0L 4cyl CVT)
11 of 17 people found this review helpful
On 2nd tank ,I got 32.2 mpg on a 230 mile trip. My old Honda Civic gets 37+ on the exact same trip and was originally rated at 36 mpg highway like the Impreza. I have no options on my hatcback as I read the weight of the total cruise control package decreases mpg by 22+miles per tank(over 1 mpg). Am puzzled by the car's loss of speed going down hills. I have to gas it to maintain speed where my other vehicles can coast,saving fuel. Strange. Car is good in snow. to get accurate mpg readings it is important to completely fill the tank each time.It takes awhile to get all the air out of this car's tank.